Composition for producing irritaing smoke clouds



Patented l t lay 19, 1931 items warren starts amt cri ics I V DONALD B. BRAIDN ER, OF HAMILTON, OHIO 1 COMPOSITION FOR PRODUCING IRRITATING- SMOKE CLOUDS No Drawing.

Application fiIedJ'anuary 24, 1928. Serial No. 249,215.

(GRANTED UNDER rim ACT or MARCH a, means arrnnnnn Amtfi. so, was; 570 as. 757

troops. By forming irritating'smoke clouds,

the opposing troops are forced to wearprotecting devices, such as gas masks, and this additional burden upon thetroops tends to impede their progress.

I have found that chloracetophone and other similar irritants, for example the other halogen derivatives of acetophenone, can be employed with certain smoke-producing materials, for example, white phosphorus, which burns spontaneously in the air, and the combustion of the white phosphorus will take at a sufficient temperature to volatilize the chloracetophenone or similar irritant, but at a temf perature below that at which the lachrymator will substantially decompose within the time required for the volatilization. This is a very important feature of my invention, because a combination of irritant and smoke-producing agent, wherein the smoke-producing agent will burn at a temperature to cause high decomposition of the irritant inorder to produce the desired Volatilization, would be satisfactory, because it is desired to maintain the irritant or lachrymator undecomposed when volatilized in the air in order that the benefit of the irritating and lachrymating properties thereof be preserved. In my mixture the white phosphorus will consume substantially all of the oxygen in the air immediately around the particles of burning phosphorus, so that no oxidation of the chloracetophenone, or other similar irritant, takes lace. The low temperature of combustion of the phosphorus favors a low thermal de-' composition of the chloracetophenone;

Specific examples of preparing my irritatcomponentsof the mixture, and the ma'ss'is then agitated byshaking orotherwise un;-

I til'the mixture has cooled below its freezing point. This results in an intimate mixture of the two constituents. Although the above proportions of phosphorus and chlorace tophenone are preferable, good-results are also obtained with 25 to percent of eachof these ingredientsp i I Emample .U.Molten 'chloracetophenone is'added to molten phosphorus with stirring, and the charge then introduced While in a partially solid state into a suitable container. Ewcmnplc H[.The white phosphorus and chloracetophenone are separately melted and grained and the container is then charged with a mixture of these two grained substances. Tn order to facilitate the handling 7 of the phosphorus pellets these operations are preferably carr1ed out in an inert atmos- 7 above, is preferably equipped with a suitable explosive charge and a firmg mechanism therefor. Upon firing this charge, the container is ruptured and the mixture is scatteredin fine particles into the air. The phosphorus ignites and in burning volatilizes the chloraoetophenone. The effect produced is a cloud of good obscuring power whicha'lso possesses a powerful lachrymating action;

An alternative apparatus consists in using 'a container for the chloracetophenone and white phosphorus which does not rupture butmerely melts away at a given'rate and allows the mixture to flow out onto the ground where the phosphorus burns and volatilizes the chloracetophenone.

Another method of using my irritating smoke-producing mixture is to place the mixture in the form of lumps or aggregates into shallow. pans, or even directly upon the I ground and allow the phosphorus to ignite spontaneously, or if desired by some mechanical or chemlcal means.

The present lnvention is not limited to the specific details set forth in the foregoing examples which should be construed as illustrative and not by Way of limitation and in View of the numerous modifications Which may be effected therein Without departing from the spirit and scope ofthis invention, it is desired that only such limitations be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a composition for producing irritating smoke cloud, a mixture of White phosphorus and a halogen derivative of acetophenone.

2. In a composition for producing irritating smoke clouds an intimate mixture of grains of White phosphorus and a halogen derivative of acetophenone.

3. In a composition for producing irritatingsmoke clouds, a mixture of White phosphorus and chloracetophenone.

4. In a composition for producing irritating smoke clouds, an intimate mixture of grains of White phosphorus and grains of chloracetophenone.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DONALD B. BRADNER. 

